I. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to devices and methods for capturing and processing images from an environment of a user. More particularly, this disclosure relates to wearable devices and methods for automatically capturing and processing images from the environment of the user.
II. Background Information
Today, technological advancements make it possible for wearable devices to automatically capture images and store information that is associated with the captured images. Digitally recording aspects and personal experiences of someone's life is typically called “lifelogging.” Some people log their life so they can retrieve moments from past activities, for example, social events, trips, etc. Lifelogging, however, may also have significant benefits in other fields (e.g., business, health care, and social research).
In a business, employees can use a lifelogging apparatus to record meetings and store information that may have financial value. For example, a lifelogging apparatus can help a door-to-door salesman to remember potential clients. In the alternative, an employer may require his employees to wear lifelogging apparatuses during their working hours to monitor and/or record their activity for quality assurance purposes, or for insurance liability purposes.
In the health care field, a lifelogging apparatus can help people who have severe memory loss or Alzheimer's, for example, by using reminiscence therapy. In reminiscence therapy, the lifelogging user reviews and talks about the day with someone, such as a caregiver. Reviewing and discussing information collected by the lifelogging apparatus may assist the user to remember events that took place during a particular day. In addition, some lifelogging apparatuses may include various biological sensors that can sense and record biological data, such as, body temperature, skin conductance, body heat, and so forth. This kind of lifelogging apparatuses can provide valuable information for diagnosing a medical condition of the user.
In social research, lifelogging apparatuses can provide information to form a database that describes social habits or preferences. For example, the database can indicate that people prefer a first place more than a second place. Accordingly, a recommendation system may use the database to suggest that the first place is worth visiting more than the second place. The recommendation system can provide rankings of a variety of places (e.g., restaurants, bars, etc.) or may make other recommendations (e.g., recommended movies, music, etc.).
Design challenges relate to the size and performance of the lifelogging apparatus. On one hand, the lifelogging apparatus should be small and light, so it can be easily worn. On the other hand, the lifelogging apparatus should have long battery-life and enough storage space, so it can be worn for a long period of time during the day (e.g., for 12 hours, or 24 hours). Therefore, there is a need for light wearable apparatuses and methods for automatically capturing images and storing information in a manner that preserves battery-life and storage space.